ATLANTA, April 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice has ended a probe of possible
antitrust violations by Chesapeake Energy Corp and Encana Corp related to their land-leasing
activities in Michigan, the companies said.

Spokesmen for the two companies said Chesapeake and Encana have received closure letters
from the Department of Justice, ending the government's criminal probe into alleged antitrust
violations in Michigan. The letters were not made available for review.

The news was reported earlier by Bloomberg News.

The Justice Department investigation began in 2012 after a Reuters report found that
executives from Chesapeake and Canadian energy company Encana Corp discussed dividing up bidding
responsibilities in Michigan involving nine private landowners and nine counties in Michigan.
Chesapeake and Encana were the biggest leasers of land during an oil and gas rush in Michigan's
Collingwood Shale region during 2010.

The boards of both Chesapeake and Encana previously conducted internal investigations and
said they found no collusion. The companies have acknowledged holding talks about forming a
joint venture in Michigan during 2010, but said no agreement was ever reached.

"We are very pleased with the confirmation by the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust
Division that it has closed its grand jury investigation," Encana spokesman Jay Averill said in
a written statement. "The conclusion of their investigation is consistent with the findings of
our independent investigation, and of our Board of Directors, that Encana did not engage in
collusion with competitors in Michigan in 2010."

A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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